Ron presented on the Sustainable Westchester Clean Transportation Project, Electric Vehicles (EV), and EV Charging Stations to the Town of Ossining Board meeting on March 21st.

The Board voted to approve the Town’s $48,000 grant application for 3 new Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, plus another $5,000 grant that will cover the entire first year’s cost for a new leased EV. The Municipal Lease that EarthKind arranged for will result in spreading the dramatically discounted price of $22,000 for a new Nissan Leaf over 5 years – at zero interest!

Energy is on a similar path to the emergence of the internet in the 1990s.
We are on the verge of another

massive societal transformation, with the
“Enernet” emerging as a “dynamic, distributed, redundant and
multi-participant energy network built around clean energy generation,
storage and delivery – and serving as the foundation for smart cities.”

Nanogrids, microgrids, distributed energy resources, virtual power plants,
intelligent building materials, battery storage, smart lighting, new
networks and intelligence are driving down energy costs and improving
services. “From the enernet evolution will come smart cities that are an
order-of-magnitude smarter, healthier and safer. The new network will also
present quantum leaps in energy security and emergency resilience that can
stand in the face of superstorms or cyberattacks.”

As the solar industry matures, we are beginning to see the emergence of new partnership models. The latest announcement is between National Grid – who owns an electric distribution utility in Massachusetts & upstate New York – and SunRun, one of the leading funders of residential solar installations in the country. As the article notes: “The partnership will also include research on how distributed energy resources can be aggregated to balance and optimize the grid, a service which is currently provided by centralized generators.” Read Here.

Forbes recently did an article on the movie “Before the Flood”, where the UN “Messenger of Peace” – actor Leonardo DiCaprio – documents the realities of Climate Change, and provides insights into the solutions.

One of most fascinating quotes: To transition the world to 100% renewable energy will take 100 Gigafactories like the one that Tesla is building in Nevada.

While it’s no small feat to build a ~15 million square foot Gigafactory, and building 100 is beyond the reach of any one company – it is tremendously hopeful that there IS an achievable path to get humanity through the ever-deepening depths of climate disruption.

The video from the May 2, 2016 New Yorker’s for Clean Power is finally out! Mark Ruffalo, Ron Kamen and others spoke at the event held in New York City. Ron, representing E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) spoke about the recently published New York Clean Jobs report and the launching of the New Yorker’s for Clean Power campaign.

Executives from 13 major U.S. corporations are announcing at least $140 billion in new investments to decrease their carbon footprints as part of a White House initiative to recruit private commitments ahead of a United Nations climate-change summit later this year in Paris.

Companies including Apple Inc., Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co., and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. will join Secretary of State John Kerry and top administration officials at the White House for the announcement. In addition to pledges to cut emissions, provide financing to environmentally-focused companies, and reduce water consumption, the companies have said they will procure at least 1,600 MW of new, renewable energy. The White House said in a statement that it expects to announce a second round of similar pledges later this fall from additional companies.

The commitments are being announced as President Barack Obama is looking to build momentum toward a legacy-defining global climate accord in Paris. In addition to company-specific commitments, the corporate leaders on Monday will signal their support for a strong climate agreement out of the United Nations talks. They administration is using the pledges to set an example for companies to find ways to eliminate their carbon emissions.

The administration’s actions are pushing the issue into the 2016 presidential debate. Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, released an energy strategy saying she would both defend and go beyond Obama’s efforts. Republican candidates have criticized the administration’s initiatives as costly to the economy and unnecessary.

Among the pledges, aluminum manufacturer Alcoa Inc. has agreed to reduce emissions by 50 percent from its 2005 levels, while agricultural giant Cargill Inc. says 18 percent of its total energy use will come from renewable sources.

Coca-Cola Co. said it would drive down the carbon footprint of its beverage production by 25 percent over the next five years, while Google says it plans to triple its purchases of renewable energy over the next decade. Berkshire Hathaway says it plans to invest up to an additional $15 billion in the construction and operation of renewable energy generators, while Bank of America Corp says it will increase its environmental business initiative by $75 billion over the next decade, according to the White House

Other participating firms include Wal-Mart, United Parcel Service Inc., PepsiCo Inc., Microsoft Corp., General Motors Inc.

While visiting Kenya over the weekend, Obama repeatedly praised the country for its efforts to address climate change, saying its efforts tor educe emissions “has put it in the position of being a leader on the continent.” And next month, the president will travel to Alaska for an international summit on Arctic climate issues.